Geralyn Wichers.

Co-operator reporter earns online honours

A Manitoba Co-operator feature on the past, present, and future of Indigenous agriculture in the province has earned a gold medal at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The Sept. 29, 2022 feature “Back to the land: ‘We used to plant hay here’” by reporter Geralyn Wichers was one of five finalists for Best multicultural story

File photo overlooking the marina and sea wall at Half Moon Bay, about 30 km south of San Francisco. (JasonDoiy/E+/Getty Images)

Suspect in California farm worker shootings appears in court

Early evidence suggests workplace grievance, authorities say

Redwood City, Calif. | Reuters — A California farm worker accused of shooting seven people to death near San Francisco, some of them his co-workers, made his first court appearance on Wednesday after he was charged with murder in the state’s second deadly gun rampage in recent days. Chunli Zhao, 66, the lone suspect in


(RBAuction.com)

Ritchie Bros. raises cash payout in bid for IAA

Activist investor Starboard Value buys into Ritchie

Reuters — Canada’s Ritchie Bros. on Monday sweetened the cash component of its buyout offer for IAA Inc. by 28 per cent, valuing the U.S. auto retailer at US$5.94 billion, and also secured the backing of a key IAA shareholder which had questioned the initial offer. The latest cash-and-stock offer at $44.40 per share, will

heather stefanson

Province pitches in on ACC ag hub

Up to $10 million has been slated for Assiniboine’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture

[UPDATED: Jan. 27, 2022] Assiniboine Community College (ACC) has its first major funding commitment from the provincial government for the promised Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture. Premier Heather Stefanson on Jan. 17 announced the province would provide up to $10 million for the project, which ACC has said will become the new hub for


Manitoba farmer Chris Raupers was among the panel speakers during the opening day of Manitoba Ag Days Jan. 17-19.

International ag interns no worker panacea

Bringing in experienced workers has pluses and minuses as a labour strategy

A farm kid from Germany, Sweden or Switzerland might be the answer to your labour needs, but it’s neither simple, nor straightforward to bring one into Canada to work on your farm. A panel discussion at Manitoba Ag Days highlighted some of the experiences farmers and immigration consultants have had accessing international labour. Chris Raupers

Quebec hog producer Rene Roy is the new chairman of the Canadian Pork Council. (Cpc-ccp.com)

Canadian Pork Council names new top brass

Rene Roy elected as council's new chair

A few weeks after hiring a new executive director, members of the Canadian Pork Council have also chosen their new board chair and first vice-chair. The council on Tuesday announced it had elected Rene Roy, a hog producer from St-Jules in Quebec’s Beauce region, as its new board chair, and Scott Peters, a producer from


File photo of Rabobank’s office building in Utrecht. (Rabobank.com)

Rabobank to offer Canadian farm-level lending

Dutch co-operative bank's Canadian arm to loan directly to farmers, starting on Prairies

Updated — A global financing firm operating at higher altitudes in Canada’s food and agrifood sector now plans to expand its business down to the farm and ranch level. The Canadian arm of Rabobank — an Amsterdam-based farmer co-operative lender, providing banking, leasing and real estate services in more than 38 countries — announced Tuesday

(Guest) Editorial: A review of two-two

As longtime readers know, what we do each year first isReview the one that’s just past, but in doggerel (bad verses)A look back to review things is usually a good practice gainfulBut this year it’s one that feels kind of painfulUps and downs for farmers here seem only a piffleCompared to those in Ukraine dodging


Justine Hendricks, shown here in a 2019 video, is the new CEO of Farm Credit Canada. (Elevate International video screengrab video via YouTube)

EDC executive to lead Farm Credit Canada

Justine Hendricks to replace retiring Michael Hoffort

Canada’s federal farm lender is importing its next chief executive from Export Development Canada. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced the appointment of Justine Hendricks, EDC’s senior vice-president and chief corporate sustainability officer since 2019, as FCC’s new CEO effective Jan. 30, 2023. As CEO, Hendricks replaces Michael Hoffort, an FCC staffer since